A Very Malfoy Christmas
by MarchingPotterofStorybrooke
Summary: Malfoy and Granger, cooped up in a castle under repairs from a war over Christmas break, all alone. What could go wrong? T for language. More explanation inside for why this is reposted.
1. Watch Where You're Going

**REALLY LONG A/N SORRY Hello! So... You guys probably hate me. I know I said I was only partially rewriting this, but I looked over it and I realized that, after a few years of writing experience and a different style under my belt, this story had more potential than it did before. I'm hoping to keep it fundamentally the same, still humorous (though it might be hard to get to at first, I promise it'll be there), but with a slightly altered overall plot from before. I never did really like where things went, but I got so rushed to post all the time, that that is what came out, and I want to do it right for you all this time. Don't feel obligated to read this/review it/anything if you've read it before, or even if you haven't, but I needed to do this and share it with you all in the way I had always hoped it would turn out. There's another A/N at the bottom if you want more info, but for now... I hope you can enjoy the newly revamped version of A Very Malfoy Christmas!**

**A Very Malfoy Christmas**

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Hermione's POV**

This is the story of how I died.

Well, almost.

Okay, not really, but honestly, I almost die all the time, so I think I can get credit for this teensy time, right?

I had taken the stairs, two at a time, to McGonnagall's office, my request weighing on my thoughts. But I had talked it out with Harry and Ginny, and fought it out with Ron, and we all eventually agreed (well, in Ron's case I'd stormed out, but that was a whole other thing) that it was for the best. So I was out of breath and had my mind in other places when I ran smack into a solid, warm body and nearly bounced back down the spiral steps, head first. I let out a small shriek, but there was no need, because the warm body grabbed my hand before my head could hit the stone and pulled me up. I breathed a sigh of relief, before seeing who it was that had saved me.

"Watch where you're going, Granger," Malfoy sneered. I sniffily breezed past him after a curt thank-you for pulling me back up, but internally, I was shaken. There wasn't any emotion behind his eyes. Not even spite or hatred. Just an emptiness that couldn't be filled with such taunts.

"Why are you following me?" I whispered a moment later outside McGonnagall's office, where Malfoy stood next to me.

"I have to talk to her too, don't flatter yourself," he muttered. I rolled my eyes and knocked gently.

"Come in," we heard. I gestured for Malfoy to enter first.

"Oh come on, Granger," he huffed, and grabbed my wrist, tugging me in with him.

"No, Malfoy, I don't want to-" I fell quiet as McGonnagall looked up at us. Malfoy dropped my arm, but waited for me to walk forward first. This version of Malfoy was so unsettling. He was still snarky and rude and harsh and everything so _Malfoy, _but it wasn't _him. _It was like a shell around something I couldn't identify.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger. What brings you two here today? I certainly did not expect you two to appear together," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I was going to wait outside actually, Malfoy can go first. I'd rather talk with you privately, if that's okay," I said. Malfoy shrugged.

"Don't bother going. I don't care if you listen. I need to stay in the castle over Christmas break. I know that technically, everyone is supposed to go home for the holidays this year so repairs can continue on the other wings of the castle and grounds, but I have nowhere to go. My father is rotting in Azkaban, and my mother is in hiding, there are still people coming after her, trying to hurt her for my father's actions," he spat out. McGonnagall nodded. "If you could make an exception, I'd be willing to help with repairs, whatever necessary to be able to stay here. My mother is faster without worrying over me."

"I'm sure we can arrange it, and you are welcome to assist in the repairs, but I am not asking it of you. If you find yourself in need of something to occupy your time, find me and I can point you in the right direction," she said. Draco nodded curtly, muttered a thank you, and left her office.

"Uhm, actually Professor, I'm in the same boat as Malfoy, sort of. My parents… they're both unreachable, as of now, because of the memory charm I used during the war. They don't even know who I am. I can't stay with the Weasleys anymore, I had a falling-out with Ron and I don't think I can bear to put that stress on everyone during the holiday season, especially since it's been only a little while since they lost Fred, there's no need to add to it, if you can understand?" I tried to explain, fidgeting with my hands in my lap.

"Perfectly. I am, again, so sorry for your loss. Mr. Weasley can be a bit of trouble now and then, can't he? Maybe some time apart will do you good. I have no problem with you remaining here in the castle as well, Miss Granger, and the offer of ways to fill your spare time is open to you, but not a requirement as well. I'm sure you'll make full use of our library whilst it is free of anyone else as well," she said with a wink, and I laughed.

"That is without a doubt, Professor. Thank you for understanding," I said, and exited her office.

* * *

**McGonnagall's POV**

"Are you sure that's wise, Albus?" I questioned, searching the painted rendition of his piercing blue irises as he adjusted his half-moon spectacles.

"Most certainly, Minerva. It will do them, and others, a great deal of good." I sighed, but nodded as always.

This should be interesting.

**Oooh spooky... XD Kidding not at all but anyhow... I just want to also explain that I have marching band starting literally in three days, so once that starts posting might be a lot slower, and once the school year starts, even more so, because I'm a junior now, and I have really hard classes this year that will consume my time that isn't already by MB. But I still hope you can bear with me and enjoy this, and if you'd like to let me know what you thought, please leave a review (good, bad, or otherwise!) in the review box below :) Thanks so much, and have a lovely day! :)**


	2. Habits of the Kids of a Garrison

**Hello! The first chapter is horribly short, so I'm giving you guys the second one now as well as a present! ;D I just wrote it though (I literally just finished writing the last word of this chapter and decided to post it) so if you see any mistakes, please please PLEASE let me know, PM or review or whatever, no matter how small! :) Enjoy! :D**

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Hermione's POV**

"Ugh, I can't believe you have to share the castle with Mal-ferret over _Christmas,_" Ginny whined. "Won't you _please _consider-" We were back in the Great Hall for lunch, and Ginny was protesting the whole idea again.

"I already told you Gin, _no. _I won't do that to you and the others for the holidays. Even _McGonnagall _said that some time apart might do me and Ronald some good. And, hey, it's not like we'll be sharing a room or anything, we have the whole _castle _to ourselves. We'll probably only see each other at meals, and that's not so bad," I replied. Harry nudged me.

"Gin is right. You don't need to deprive yourself of a proper Christmas because of Ron." I sighed.

"Harry…" I tried to explain. "It's more than that… it's just, I'm not really feeling Christmas this year. It's just too soon, and I think that maybe _this _sort of Christmas by myself this year might be just the right thing," I said. Ever since the war, coming back to Hogwarts for our 'eighth year' and everything involved with it felt so foreign and strange. The halls didn't hold their same warmth, their safety anymore, not with all the battle scars remaining, marring their surfaces. The only place that felt even a fraction of the same was the library, so I spent a great deal of time there. I meant it; I really didn't feel like Christmas was truly right this year with so many gone. "Please, guys, just enjoy it without me, and eat some extra treats for me. I'll help myself to some extra treacle tart for the both of you," I added with a wink, and they both chuckled, hugging me before departing. When I glanced down the table, bile rose in my throat as I caught a glimpse of Ron.

_Leave now_

_Leave now_

_Leave now_

I listened to my instincts and gathered my things before I caused a scene or had a breakdown again. I whipped around just to knock into Malfoy, yet again. He caught me once more, righting me, before stepping back.

"Let's not make that a habit, shall we?" he said. "McGonnagall sent a first-year with a message, she wants us to meet her back in her office again tomorrow after the trains depart," he said.

"Alright, thanks." I pushed past him to leave, feeling my levees starting to lose hold. I quickened my pace, and once I was outside, I full out ran to my favorite tree by the Black Lake to sit and take a breather. Every time I saw him, there were flashes back to that night, to that horrible conversation, and I couldn't handle it.

_"__You know, you're the brightest witch I know Hermione, but you're really thick sometimes, you know that?" Ron sneered. _

_"__Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know having faith in an exclusive relationship was being _thick! _It's not about cleverness, Ronald, I didn't know because I shouldn't have to ever even question for a moment!" I ranted. _

_"__Really? You honestly thought you'd be enough? You're nothing. You've changed so much, you're not the Hermione I fell in love with. You weren't enough anymore, so yeah, I went and found someone to fill in those hours when you were sitting around in the library, moping about," he spat. _

_"__And what about all those times you sat grieving, Ron? Who was there for you? I was! I was there for you when you were weak, I was the strong one, and now that I'm losing my grip, _you _can't bloody well _handle it!" _I cried. "Instead, you go and shag the first girl who'll come running. For Merlin's sake, it's not even _one _damn girl you've been cheating with because you 'love her' or whatever bollocks you normally say, you've had a string of poor girls you've shagged and shucked, and you're standing there, bloody proud of it, like you're in the right and I'm the one who should be grateful, along with all those poor fifth years!" I yelled. He shrugged. _

_"__They didn't seem to mind." He took another swig of his firewhiskey. That was when I lost it. I started throwing things at him, screaming for him to get out. He hollered back that it was his room, that I had to leave, so I did. I snatched the bottle from his hands, threw it against the wall, and stormed out as it shattered and fell in shards to the hardwood floor. _

"Granger, you're so damn thick sometimes, I swear," a normally unwelcome voice interrupted my thoughts.

"What?"

"You're out here in the snow, on the ground, and you're not even wearing anything that resembles decent clothing for the weather," he said, gesturing at my uniform. I was only in the shirt, tie, and skirt, my sweater was still in the dormitory. I had only brought a spare bit of homework with me, I had been planning to go gather the rest of my things for the day after I finished my lunch, not coming out here. Although I wasn't feeling cold before, as if on cue, I shivered.

"I'm fine, Malfoy." He rolled his eyes.

"Obviously not. C'mon, I'm bringing you inside. If I don't, you and your stubborn self will sit out here and freeze to death and everyone will find a way to pin the blame on me somehow," he said, only partly joking, but I shook my head.

"Malfoy, I'm _fine. _I don't want to go inside right now." He sighed, and realized I wasn't going to move until I was ready, and conceded.

"Fine." But then he shrugged off his coat and draped it over me, blanketing me in its warmth and scent from him wearing it. "If you're going to be stubborn, don't be stupidly stubborn. See you in class," he muttered, before walking back to the castle, not giving me a chance to reject the coat. My thoughts turned away from the youngest Weasley boy, and onto Malfoy.

It wasn't kindness, no, but it was… well, the only way I knew how to describe it was as though we were war mates. The kind that you're not friends with, but you take care of them just because, quite simply, no one gets left behind, not after what you've been through and seen together and done for one another already, if indirectly. You help keep them strong when they can't themselves, and they will hopefully return the favor. So, no, not kindness, but something akin to it. And that gave me hope for a change in Malfoy, no matter how small, and that put a smile on my face, with no more worries about a certain Weasley for the remainder of the day.

* * *

**DRACO'S POV**

The next morning, I woke up groggy and disoriented, like I did most mornings. I didn't sleep much these days, only falling asleep in the early hours of dawn. Blaise was shaking me awake.

"Mate, you asked me to wake you so you could see us off," he said.

"Remind me why I would ever say that?" I muttered, rolling over and pushing my face back into the pillow, groaning while Blaise laughed, before finally heaving myself out of bed. I didn't bother getting dressed, aside from throwing on a sweater to combat the cold that would surely greet us outside, seeing as we weren't going to be held to the uniforms whilst on break. Even if I was regretting the decision currently, it was probably a good idea to get up with Blaise, so I could see McGonnagall on time.

We went downstairs to grab a bite in the Great Hall, but we were so early that there was hardly anyone there. We were the first to the train, and got Pansy, Blaise, and Nott's luggage on board before anyone else, so we spent some time wandering around the platform, occasionally chatting about what we were doing over break. But none of us were doing anything much, although I'd had it the worst, all of our parents had been severely undermined by this past war, and our families were all hit hard. Even Pansy was quieter nowadays, less boastful and bragging. My gaze wandered over the train and to the remainder of the platform, where more and more students were arriving to load.

That was when the Golden Trio appeared, plus the rest of their ragtag group of friends. But they looked so worn down and ragged, you could hardly tell they were the same people who used to do this every year with joy. Granger especially was finding it hard to keep her spirits- or even her eyes- up, until Weaselbee was out of sight. I made a mental note to ask about that at some point, it must've been what was bothering her so yesterday.

As I glanced between my friends and hers, I understood that, truly, we were not so different now. I'd known that all along of course, but I felt this in a different way. We were all war-torn, weary kids who had lost those dear to us, we were all scarred and broken children with weights on our shoulders that didn't seem to lift, we were all just _kids. _

And as I studied Granger and her friends, my mind was made up. We were kids, and I was damned if that meant she and I weren't going to have a spectacular Christmas break.

I waved goodbye to my friends that morning with a lightness in my heart and mind that I hadn't felt in ages, and a new purpose to pursue. Because, whilst studying Granger and the buddies of her garrison, I realized something.

She was still buried in the depths of my coat.

**Poor babies need hugs okay :3 Have a lovely day!**


	3. A Guest Loo?

**Hi guys! I'm really sorry, this is sort of a filler chapter, and it's not exactly spectacular (also I meant for it to be a lot longer than this but I'm really bogged down with homework and the start of marching band so I want to get something up before uploading becomes near impossible). But it does serve to move our tale along a bit, and I hope you enjoy a bit of Draco/Hermione alone time! :) **

**CHAPTER THREE**

**HERMIONE'S POV**

I burrowed deeper into Malfoy's coat as I made my way back to the castle. The chilly air dropped a few degrees further with the breeze, and I was grateful for the warmth. I had seen him on the platform, and should have given it back, but like a child, pretended I didn't see him so I could hang on to it until we were back into the warm corridors of the castle. It was far too big for me, much like my problems that were bothering me, but this was a comforting big, not a smothering one like the thoughts rallying in my head to mob me.

I couldn't help but compare the fresh cologne and outdoor smell of Malfoy's coat to the fire-whiskey and peppermint of Ron, before shaking away the thought. There was no comparison. I'd never looked at Malfoy like that, and I would never look at Ron like that again.

My thoughts were interrupted by the very sudden change of my clothes to a boy's green pajama bottoms, white undershirt, and dark green sweater. I jumped, and smacked my forehead when I heard a quietly muttered, "Crap!" from slightly behind me. I stopped and turned on my heel.

"Malfoy!?" I cried, annoyed, before I realized the full hilarity of his spell gone wrong.

"I only meant to get back the damn coat," he tried to explain away, but I was laughing too hard. I was on the ground, the snow melting through his sweater and freezing me further, but I didn't care, I was laughing so hard.

When I had turned around, Malfoy was wearing my clothes. That meant a Gryffindor uniform, including a skirt, flats, the whole nine yards. I couldn't breathe, I was laughing so hard. Malfoy glared at me, before switching back our clothes. He came over and picked me up off the ground setting me on my feet, only making me laugh harder, if that was possible. I was doubled over, unable to stand from the force of it all. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and simply hoisted me back into his arms, carrying me back inside while I shook with laughter in his arms, unable to protest, or even breathe, barely. I was going red in the face, I was sure of it, when we ran across Madame Pomfrey as soon as we walked inside, by happy coincidence, according to Malfoy. He explained that I was having a severe laughing fit.

"Are you sure you don't want her to have one of those in times such as these?" Madame Pomfrey advised, but Malfoy sighed.

"I'll have to carry her all the way up to the Headmistress's office at this rate if she still can't stand from the laughter," he explained further with a sigh. Madame Pomfrey nodded in agreement.

"Well then, I know just the trick." She brought out her wand and tapped once on my solar plexus, and my body finally released from the silent chokehold of my laughter, and I was able to suck in a lungful of air. He chuckled down at me, as I turned red from the laughter and embarrassment as I thanked Madame Pomfrey. He carried me a few more feet to a ledge before setting me down to take a breather.

"Merlin's beard, Malfoy, I swear…" He put on a serious face.

"Granger, if a word of that incident is ever spoken of outside of us two, you will wish Umbridge was back," he whispered with fake malice. I cringed away in fear.

"No, please, not Umbridge!" I cried, as he chuckled.

"We should probably go see whatever McGonnagall wants," he mused, and I shrugged, hopping down from the ledge. I began to shrug off his coat, thanking him for letting me borrow it, when he stopped me.

"Just keep it, Granger. I have a million winter coats, and you like that one." I began to protest, but he shook his head. "It's going to smell like girl now anyhow, and I can't get that out," he said with a smug wink, and I rewarded him with a punch in the arm. "Ow, woman!" I knew the last bit was a crap excuse, but I would be lying if I said I was unhappy to have to keep it.

It's a damn fine coat, okay!? Sorry if I like nice things!

We found ourselves back at McGonnagall's office, and Malfoy did the honors.

"Come in," she called, and we entered, settling in for whatever she wished to discuss. She came to the desk from her shelves, glanced back at the portrait of Dumbledore, and sighed as she sat down. "There's been a change in some arrangements while you are staying here over Christmas break. There will be some minor renovations going on in all of the dormitories and common rooms, mostly security updates and the like, for student safety. We did not anticipate this starting out, but Professor Dumbledore and I have been debating its necessity, and finally decided it was better there than not." Malfoy and I looked at each other, and he spoke for both of our thoughts.

"Does that mean we can't stay here?" If that were the case, she would have spoken to us earlier than this. But we all knew there was something else going on.

"No, Mr. Malfoy, you may still remain at Hogwarts for the duration of Christmas break, in fact, for your safety, I insist upon it. But the, erh, sleeping arrangements have been modified."

"How so, Professor?" McGonnagall removed her glasses and cleaned them.

"Follow me, and I will show you."

**DRACO'S POV**

The moment we arrived at the seventh floor, I knew McGonnagall's intentions. As we hung a left into another corridor, they were confirmed, and I could see on Hermione's face that she knew as well.

"Even without knowledge of your previous history with this room, your faces say it all," she said with a chuckle. "I can tell you're both well acquainted with the Room of Requirement," she said, and we both nodded. "You'll be using the room to create your own living quarters for this break, and while the room serves you, you'll be serving us."

"How? And how is it even functioning, I thought it was destroyed by the Fiendfyre?" Hermione asked. I winced at the memory, and she mouthed an apology as soon as she realized what she'd brought up.

"It was, but it was also one of the first rooms repaired and upgraded by the aurors. This will be yours to do with as you please, and I have charmed it so that you may return to it as it was before you left." She gestured at the two of us. "I'll leave you two to it then, you know what to do. If you need me, you know where I will be," she said.

Before we knew it, she had Disapparated with a crack and we were left by ourselves in the corridor, unsure of what to do next.

"Uhm…" she thought out loud. "Maybe we should just ask it for a place we can both stay in over the holidays, see what it gives us, and experiment with modifications from there?" she mused. I chuckled.

"You make it sound so technical. But yes, that does sound like our best option," I said. "So we'll walk past it three times thinking, 'I need a place for me and Malfoy/Granger to stay during Christmas break,'" I suggested, and she nodded. We gave ourselves some room to walk back and forth, and began.

_I need a place for me and Granger to stay during Christmas break, I need a place for me and Granger to stay during Christmas break, I need a place for me and Granger to stay during Christmas break…_

A few moments later, a large Hogwarts portrait began to materialize out of the wall. It depicted a lion and a snake entwined as though they were in a vicious battle. The king in the stands above the arena the creatures were fighting in called out in an authoritative voice.

"Password?" We looked at each other.

"I guess we make one?" Granger murmured. I shrugged.

"How about Slytherin Rules? Easy to remember," I joked, and she smacked my arm.

"_No. _And that's really easy to guess, anyhow, idiot," she muttered.

"I don't give a bunny's arse if it's easy to guess, Granger, there's no one else here with us!" I cried. But I realized my mistake too late; I had spoken too loudly, and the king had accepted my turn-of-phrase for our password.

"Bunny's arse it shall be! You may enter!" I smacked a hand to my forehead, and before Granger could say a word, I held out a finger to silence her.

"Not. A. Word." She was in a fit of giggles again, thankfully not as severe as this morning, as we entered our new home for the next three weeks.

"Woah…" she murmured as she took it in.

Woah was right. The common room alone was spectacular. The cavernous ceiling was one I was very unused to, but I was almost certain that must be what it looked like up in Gryffindor Tower. Rather than be a combination of red, gold, green, and silver (which would actually scream Christmas, but probably too much), it was in simple, warm earth tones, cozy and comforting for the holidays. The seating area boasted a full sized sofa, two recliners, and a loveseat (not that we would have anyone to fill so much seating), a large wooden coffee table, and a roaring brick fireplace to battle the winter chill. Just off of that was a small kitchen and dining area, which I was most surprised at; that is, until I saw all the muggle appliances adorning it. It was probably mostly for Hermione's sake. To our left, there was a hallway, on either side of which there was a single door that led to, presumably, each bedroom. But above the hallway arch, printed in capital gold leaf print, were the words _opere et sermone, et tandem in salute. _I began to translate for Hermione, but she finished off my sentence for me, there was no need.

"Action and words…"

"…only in tandem will you survive." Well, the Room certainly wished to get something across, goodness knows what. We both shrugged and made for our rooms. Her door was a deep purple, mine a navy blue. It really had eradicated the normal house tendencies of the castle. We first entered our own rooms, before exploring each others.

Mine was rather bare, consisting of a large four poster bed with silver and deep blue sheets, and the other essentials of a bedroom in dark woods with silver accents.

Her bedroom, however, was already far more interesting. Her sheets were a deep purple like that of the door, with a canopy of shimmery white above her bed. Adorning the walls were pictures, muggle and wizard alike, of her friends and family. She had a large study desk all to herself, set up with anything and everything she'd ever need. Our bathrooms were identical though, modern and pristine, not a thing out of place.

"So how do you think we change things around here?" she asked. I shrugged, then thought hard on my need for a mirror at the moment in my room. I checked a few moments later, and sure enough, a full length mirror had appeared.

"Just concentrate hard on what you're trying to summon," I said. She thought hard for a moment, and ran to the kitchen, before reappearing with two cookies. I rolled my eyes but accepted the offering.

"I'm going to go legitimately get ready for the day," she said, gesturing at her barely contained hair (though I didn't see anything wrong), and I agreed that I was going to as well. I shucked the pajamas and folded them neatly back into their drawers like mum always nagged (funny how those things mattered, once she couldn't see them), and went for a shower. Feeling much better, I pulled on a crisp white button-down and khakis, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt and leaving my hair combed but otherwise untamed. Seeing as Granger was nowhere in sight, I flopped down onto one of the large, plushy recliners, throwing a leg across one of the arms and rocking back and forth lazily, pushing off against the floor with my other foot. I heard giggles a few minutes later and quickly sat up, realizing Granger had quietly reappeared without my noticing.

"What are you snickering about, Granger?" I scoffed, derision lacing my every word and move, but she just carried on.

"I have seen Draco Malfoy in girl's clothes, heard him say the words 'bunny arse' and promptly make that our password, and now he is lounging around a common room that we are to share for the next three weeks. This day is beyond reason, Malfoy, and you know it," she said, collapsing into another fit of giggles as she laid out across the loveseat, opening her novel. I read the title upside down as I hovered above her for a moment.

"_The Devil's Masquerade?_ What the devil are you reading?" I asked. She rolled her eyes at the god-awful joke.

"It's a book, Malfoy. I know that's a four letter word, b-o-o-k, but try to understand. It's something people with brains actually read, r-e-a-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it…" I grumbled as I shuffled off to find my Ancient Runes homework. Might as well get something done. When I returned, she sighed as she turned a page.

"It's a romance, Malfoy, you wouldn't be interested in it, so don't get all huffy just because I won't tell you what it's about. If it would've interested you, I would've shared." She was blushing as she admitted that it was a romance, and I could tell by the worn covers and pages she'd read it many times, and I chuckled at that bit of information, stowing it away for later. I laid out my work on the coffee table, working on a particularly difficult cipher Professor V had assigned to me specifically (not out of malice, but to challenge me, since I was rather good at her class already, and was typically bored). We both continued, separate but together, for another hour, and Hermione finished her novel. She wandered about the rooms for a little while, unsure of how to fill her empty time now, before settling in next to me. I was a bit thrown by how close she sat, I was unused to close physical proximity like that, even by family and close friends. She was sitting next to me as though I were Potter, or worse, Weasley. I automatically stiffened, but didn't say anything, just pushed the parchments nearer to her so that I might have reason to put space between us again. I continued working while she quietly 'hmmed' on occasion at what she read of what I'd completed already, but found nothing to correct me on, or if she did, she did not say it. When I was done and packed away my things, we both stared aimlessly around us, unused to having nothing to worry about or do right away.

"D'you want to try adding on to this place? Or changing what's here?" she asked.

"I guess now's a good a time as any," I said with a stiff shrug. I still wasn't used to conversing so amicably with Granger, hearing her laugh fill the otherwise silent moments, and being the cause for her laughter, rather than her pain or discomfort.

We found ourselves facing the blank wall at the end of the hallway that contained our rooms, before glancing at each other.

"What do you want to try?" I asked.

"I'd like to eventually have somewhere outdoors to sit, but let's try something small first."

"How about… A broom closet?"

"But a broom closet doesn't make sense here."

"Why not?"

"It'd make more sense by the kitchen, where we'd access that stuff all the time." It looked like, even with our greatest differences behind us, we still couldn't agree on the smallest of things.

"Fine. How about a guest loo?"

"What guests will we have-"

"Hermione, not everything has to have a practical purpose!" She huffed, but finally agreed, pulling her hair into a loose bun away from her face.

"Fine. How do we do it?"

"I just concentrated hard and asked for a mirror," I explained.

"I guess that's what we'll have to try for now." We both closed our eyes, and very carefully concentrated on the need for a guest loo. When we opened our eyes, we were successful… somewhat.

"What is this, Malfoy!?" she cried as she walked inside.

"How is this my fault!?"

"You weren't doing it right! Now look!" The bathroom we had created was disastrous. The overlap in our thoughts on how it should look had resulted in a toilet in the shower, the sink being underneath a false window, the medicine cabinet being where the lightswitch should go, and a mixture of random tiles and paint to decorate. Granger gave a huge huff and pushed me out, muttering _always have to do things myself… even with Harry and Ron around… ugh, men…_

She closed her eyes, concentrated alone, and I watched as the room transformed in front of her from disaster to perfection. It was neat, organized, modern, and clean, just like our bathrooms.

"Hmph. There," she sniffed, as she exited, brushing past me into her bedroom. It had automatically become even more Hermione-ish since we had arrived, and mine had become more accommodating to myself as well. It was as though the room sensed our needs before even we did, and catered to them. At least the minor ones, not the silliest of sorts, like a guest bathroom that would never be used.

As if to contradict my thoughts just then, there was suddenly a loud knock on the door.

**Again, sorry if that ****wasn't****what you were hoping for, I will try my hardest to post within the next week, but ****seeing****as I have ten hour days of marching band for the next week (and then no internet for the week after that) it seems unlikely, just to warn you. I love you all dearly, and apologize again, and I hope you have a wonderful evening! :) **


	4. Flying and Hogsmeade

**PLEASE READ THIS A/N!**

**Hello all! So this is a horribly long author's note, but it's to clarify a few things. **

**First of all, I'd like to clarify that this is an 'eighth year' fic, essentially, just not spanning the whole year, I don't know how long it's going to be yet. **

**Secondly, timeline: The way their break works for the sake of this story is they have 3 weeks off: 2 before Christmas, and one full week afterwards that takes them through New Years, students return on the second. Right now this is the first day of that first week off still. **

**Thirdly, I'm writing these chapters at like (in this case, 2:18 a.m.) so I can update for you all (which I have no problem doing, I love you all dearly and this is a lot of fun to write :D), but that just means that there will be errors since I don't have time to proofread again more than one scan before I upload. So if you see anything, even a minor mistake like capitalization, a quick PM or review or whatever is easiest is really appreciated, I don't like to have grammatically/spelling incorrect writing :P **

**One last quick note: any inaccuracies as far as the Wizarding World goes (if someone is alive who isn't supposed to be, if I've made them go somewhere that doesn't exist- i.e., the shops in Hogsmeade that aren't there in the actual books, they're only in Diagon Alley), it means I've changed it for the sake of the fanfic. If this bothers you, I'm very sorry. (If there's something COMPLETELY wrong and I don't address it within the story, let me know- I probably just forgot, it's been a while since I read the series all the way through). **

**Otherwise, carry on and see who knocked…**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**HERMIONE'S POV**

I heard Draco go to answer the door, and absentmindedly wandered over to where he stood now, looking out into the hall.

"Who was it?" I asked.

"No one, apparently," he muttered. Just then, the door slammed behind us, and we heard the sickening lock of the door. We looked at each other, then back to the room.

"_Bunny's arse!" _we both yelled. But the king in our portrait had disappeared. We tried every non-destructive unlocking spell we could possibly think of to open the door, but something was jamming it. Draco stooped to examine the lock.

"Something's been jammed in the keyhole!" he cried. I realized what was going on.

"_Peeves!" _I shrieked, and aimed my wand at the door. "_Waddiwasi!" _I cried, and the wad of gum came shooting out of the keyhole. Meanwhile, Draco had tracked down our elusive king, and forced him to open the portrait for us. We dashed inside, just as Peeves zoomed back out again, hovering outside the door and singing a song.

_Malfoy and Granger,_

_Oh, what a danger,_

_And look here! What do you know,_

_Away's gone Potter,_

_And Weasley's a rotter,_

_As they're caught under the mistle-toooooe…_

He blew a raspberry at us, until Draco threatened to call the Bloody Baron, and he flew away in terror, the coward he always was.

But that didn't mean Peeves' song didn't hold true- we were magically rooted to the spot under a fresh bunch of mistletoe.

"Bloody hell," Draco muttered.

"Hang on, I might know a way to fix this without McGonnagall," I said. "Winky! We could use your help, if you're not busy!" I cried, and not a moment later, with a resounding _crack!, _Winky the house elf from the kitchens was by my side and bowing deferentially.

"Oh, miss Granger, our savior in the war, how can Winky help, miss?" I smiled gratefully at Winky.

"There's no need for that, Winky, thank you. My... friend Malf- eh, Draco, here, and I, we got pranked by Peeves, and he stuck us under some mistletoe. Is there any chance you could clear it away for us, please?" I asked, and Winky nodded enthusiastically. Winky had really lost any aversion to me from fourth year and S.P.E.W.

"Anything Winky can do for miss, she will, she will," the little house elf squeaked as she waved a hand, and the magical parameter surrounding us because of the mistletoe above our heads disappeared along with it, and we were able to step back to a more comfortable, Malfoy-Granger distance.

"Thanks, Winky. Would you like anything before you go?" Malfoy shocked me by asking this.

"N-no, Master Malfoy. Winky is just fine, Winky will be off to the kitchens now, thank you," she said with another small bow, the weight of her large head bringing it to the floor and gently bumping each time she bowed before another _crack! _took her away. Malfoy and I milled about, unsure of what to do to fill the awkward time after, other than explore our rooms. Our bags were unpacked for us… finally we gave up, and decided to just go read the Prophet in the Great Hall until it was time for lunch to be served.

As it was only Malfoy and I, we sat together at the end of the teacher's table, leaving some space between us and the large group of teachers that had stayed still to help with repairs over holiday. We read through the Prophet, occasionally commenting and scoffing at inaccuracies or muttering over shocking articles, until finally the food appeared and occupied our time. As we ate in silence, it became clear what had to be done. If we were going to be roommates and not go mad of boredom for the next three weeks, we would have to get to know each other, and curse Merlin's pants if I was going to let Malfoy's uncomfortable moods hinder that.

"Malfoy, d'you want to go Christmas shopping in Hogsmeade with me?" I asked, out of the blue, after working up the nerve. "I'm utterly bored to death in the castle, and I need to get a head start so I don't send them late this year." I stood from the table, gathering my things, ready to go with or without him.

"What, and carry around your bags all day while you dilly-dally in every frilly shop imaginable? Not a chance," he snapped. I shrugged, and started out to the doors of the Great Hall, not even deigning his snarky words with a response. I could see that it wasn't him, that it was his old defenses coming up to bat, just like how mine always was to run to the library when something went wrong. But that didn't mean I had to stand there and take it until he learned some manners. To my surprise though, before I even made it to the staircase, I heard fast-paced footsteps behind me, and stopped to turn around just as Malfoy crashed into me.

"Why is it we're always running into each other like this?" I groaned as I picked myself up off the floor.

"I wanted to apologize, Granger. That was rude, and I don't really think you'd be the type. If you'll allow it, I would like to join you when you leave. I'll be out on the Quidditch pitch, just come and give a shout when you're ready to leave," he said, and I gave a curt nod.

"Fine. I'll be ready in about an hour, I need to compose a list first. I'll meet you then," I said. He nodded, before slightly jogging away towards the doors. I made my way up to our room, regretting now that it was on the seventh floor. I gathered a scrap bit of parchment discarded from Malfoy's homework (which had been quite impressive), and jotted down a few ideas for what I wished to get for each one on my list this year. Money was tight, I was dipping into my emergency savings at Gringott's since my parents hadn't been depositing anything for almost two years now, and I had used much of what was there to buy school supplies and other necessities. But this was worth it. The only problem was, next to Draco Malfoy's name, was a big question mark. I knew I would get him something, just out of the fact that we were roommates, if nothing else, and maybe to let him know that I didn't mind becoming friends, if he could live with that. I chuckled at the image in my head: Malfoy and Granger, Long Lost Friends, a Daily Prophet headline perhaps.

I folded up the parchment, hoping I'd gather some ideas whilst shopping, and left for the Quidditch pitch.

* * *

When I arrived at the base of the large arena and went through the entrance archway, I was surprised to see that Malfoy was nowhere in sight. I was about to turn around and head back to the castle to look for him there, when I finally caught sight of a Malfoy-sized speck shooting downwards, straight towards the ground. I fumbled for my wand, thinking he was going to crash, when, just as he was going to be a mess for Hagrid to clean up from the field, he let out a whoop of joy and freedom, and pulled out of the nosedive, shooting high above the hoops and stands once more. I chuckled, shaking with a sigh of relief. He hadn't seen me, so I watched him for a few more minutes, taking in the sight of him, laughing and doing tricks. This was the most carefree Malfoy I had ever caught a glimpse of, and it brought a huge grin to my face as I finally stepped out of the archway and revealed myself. Malfoy's expression faded away into one of shock as he touched down, unsure of how much I'd seen, probably. He carefully fixed a mask over his features once more though, and brushed past me to lock away his broomstick. I sighed to myself, wondering if he'd ever trust me.

"You're an amazing flyer, Malfoy," I said, nudging him with my elbow as we walked side by side to the entrance to Hogsmeade. We had a bit of a trek to get there though, and he was silent for a large part of it at first.

"Probably not half as good as your Potter," he mumbled, sighing.

"Wow, Malfoy, I never thought you'd be the type." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not jealous, if that's what you're implying," he retorted sharply.

"Not at all, just that you're comparing yourself to your self-proclaimed arch nemesis?"

"He's not my 'arch nemesis.'"

"That's how it's always seemed, between you and him." He huffed, and looked away.

"Petty rivalries, that's all it ever was, Granger, we were just too naive to see it then." But now I was worked up into a fit.

"They didn't seem like petty rivalries when we fought a _war _over them. Not petty rivalries when people _died _for them."

"You think I don't grieve over that fact every day? You think I don't suffer as much as Weasley, or Potter, or you, because I was the bad guy? News flash, Granger, I suffered a great deal of loss as well. The only difference between him and me is that I'm condemned for it, and he is held above all else." The bitterness in his tone was unmistakable, and I knew that was a sham of an excuse. He kept trying to cover up, to hide the amount of hurt he was feeling, over losing his parents, over losing his dignity, over losing _everything. _He was right in one respect- we were only different in one way. At the end of the day, we still had loved ones supporting us to come home to and grieve with and receive comfort from. He never had that, and he obviously assumed he never would.

"Mal- Draco…" I started, feeling the foreign name slip off my tongue for only the second time. "I'm sorry that others can't recognize suffering, no matter what form it takes, but know that I, and I'm sure many others, are here for you. You are not your father, and you are not his teachings, and you are _not _the suffering he brought upon your mother, and yourself," I said as I reached out, placing a hand on his arm, before he flinched away.

"You don't know what I am."

"Then let me know. When you're ready, I'm here. Now I'm going to get some bloody shopping done, mopey mood or not, so are you coming or not?" I asked, turning around just inside the entrance to Hosmeade, as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

"I'd better come so you don't get yourself killed falling down a set of stairs or something," he half-joked, and he caught up with me. I blushed at the dismal pile of coins in the bottom of my change purse as I tried to portion out what I would probably need. Through the embarrassment though, I selected a careful amount, just enough for what I'd be buying and a little extra, and put the coins in a separate pocket in the bag. Draco raised an eyebrow at my expression, but didn't comment. We decided to get a few sweets from Honeydukes first, while we figured out where to start. We finally agreed on Zonko's to start. Fred and George's place was shut down temporarily, for obvious reasons, so I had to settle when I would much rather buy from George. Nevertheless, I got what I needed (a few toys for Teddy), and went on my way to meet Draco, who was next door in Madam Malkin's (an extension of her shop in Diagon Alley). His robes didn't fit anymore, and was having them resized while we were out. Then, I spotted it.

**DRACO'S POV**

We moved on to Flourish and Blotts (another local branch off of the Diagon Alley namesake), which was my epic mistake. Something caught her eye in the back of the store as soon as we walked in, and she disappeared into the sea of people bustling about, looking for gifts for the holidays. I searched around for nearly an hour, before finally spotting Hermione, curled up under a table around a book.

She appeared to be in a trance, she was so one-minded as she read while people pushed and shoved to get to the shelves and tables around her. I shook my head and chuckled, giving in and grabbing a book myself, seating myself underneath the table next to hers so as not to disturb her. I was done with my book long before hers, it was a massive tome and I couldn't tell the title, it was blocked by her legs.

I got up and stretched, and took a look round, before realizing that it was almost closing time already. I knocked on the table above Hermione, and she jumped. I bent over and gently pried the book from her hands.

"It's time to go, they're closing up for the evening," I said, and she groaned, before gasping as she stood up and stretched, and realized the time.

"Is it really that late?"

"I'm afraid so. Come on, let's go check out," I said, leading the way to the register with the book, which I finally read the title to be _A Brief History of Muggleborns in Wizarding Events. _I raised an eyebrow, but could understand why she was so curious. She caught up to me at the register.

"No, Draco, it's okay, I don't need it," she said, blushing as she tried to retrieve the book from my arms.

"You're quite involved in it now, Hermione, I can't let you go with it unfinished and no way to read it until next time," I said, and she blushed deeper.

"Well, I mean, the thing is- er, I haven't the money to buy it right now, not with everything else I still need to buy this month," she said quietly, looking away. I put two and two together then, realizing that without her parents, she was probably running dangerously low in her account after two years without another deposit. I shrugged.

"Fine. I'm buying it as an early Christmas present for you," I said, handing it to the man behind the counter and asking him to bill it to the Malfoy account. I got a flinch and a dirty look at the mention of my name, but ignored it (and Hermione's incessant protests), taking it back without a word and exiting the shop, before handing it to Hermione.

"Now that that's all settled, let's get back, I don't want to miss dinner," I said, taking her wrist and pulling her along even though she kept trying to find a reason and a way to return the book. "Save it, Hermione, you're not returning a Christmas gift now, are you?" I asked, and she sighed in defeat, knowing she couldn't get around it.

"Fine. But what do you want for Christmas?" she asked as she pulled her wrist from my grasp and willingly fell into step beside me.

"I don't need anything."

"Christmas isn't really about what you _need _though, is it? What do you _want _for Christmas, Draco Malfoy?" she asked, searching my expression with a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. I didn't answer right away. No one had asked me what I'd wanted for Christmas in years. My parents stopped giving me gifts when I turned seven, and even before that it had mostly been my mother doting on me. If my friends bought me anything, it was usually something I'd been needing for ages, but my father was too 'busy' to send it to me. We just weren't so sentimental, as Hermione and her friends appeared to be.

"I don't really want anything either. Nothing material, anyway. Maybe some peace. Maybe for people to stop flinching at my name," I muttered bitterly at the thought of the cashier. Hermione put a hand on my shoulder. But I quickly composed myself again. "You don't owe me anything, Hermione Granger. Nothing at all," I said, and quickened my pace into the Great Hall, ending the conversation, for now at least.

**I love you all, and sorry for taking ages to update, lots and lots of marching band going on lately :P Hope you enjoyed, see you soon! :) **


	5. REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ :(

**Hi, this is your author here, with a very important and disappointed message for you all. **

**Some of you may remember, I said I reposted this, newly rewritten. Well, it appears that the original version, which I had up until quite recently actually, was plagiarized by another writer. The original version of the fic was copied word for WORD, and reposted to the site , without my permission. The author posted it completely as their own work, without any explanation whatsoever. I have commented on the fic as I don't know how to privately message them, but it looks like I'm going to have to report the fic. I'm struggling to though, because they need a link to the original work with a timestamp. But I deleted the original one completely from ff to avoid confusion, and while I still have the old fic complete in my word processor, I have no way to link it in the 'report' section of wattpad (as well as I don't know how to retrieve the timestamp). I'm just extremely disappointed that another author, who knows how hard it is to create something, let alone have the courage to post it for critique and enjoyment from their peers, would do such a thing. I'm sorry to bother you all with this, but I thought it was important you know, and if anyone has advice, it would be greatly appreciated. **

**Thank you, and I'm sorry,**

**MarchingPotterOfStorybrooke**


	6. The Stuff Of Nightmares

**TW INFORMATION AND UPDATE ON THE PLAGIARIST BELOW. You can skip the update, but please check out the TW stuff if it applies. **

**First, a quick update on what happened: So I called out the other author on what they did, publicly, as well as reported the story on Wattpad and Mibba privately to the staff. The Wattpad one was taken down very quickly the next day, along with my public message, and a lie about why the story is gone. They said they accidentally deleted it and didn't have it saved on their computer. Oh well. It's not honest, but at least it's down. That brings me to this chapter:**

**This chapter is dedicated to every single one of you. I've been working on this while waiting for more news or a removal on Mibba, and today it finally happened. It was taken down for (hopefully) good. So I pushed through and finished a chapter, to post in gratitude today. Your support and kind words meant the world while I was dealing with something that was uncomfortable and hurtful to deal with. I owe you guys everything, and I wish I could do more than this. But I want you to know you guys are the best readers ever, and this chapter is dedicated to all of you. Thank you :)**

* * *

**_VERY IMPORTANT TRIGGER WARNING NOTE_**

**This chapter deals with the scene in HP7 where Bellatrix interrogates and tortures Hermione. I know it's a very tough scene for anyone to deal with, but I want to properly warn anyone who might be triggered by that scene, right now: if you need to skip that part of the story, it is non-essential to the plot. It serves to further their growing bond, and show another side to Draco, but it is not necessary to understand the rest of the story, I wrote it that way (hopefully). Surrounding the scene will be a line break like the one above, surrounded by two lines of asterisks, on both the end and beginning of the scene, so you can scroll past. It includes both the nightmare she has as well as their conversation after. **

**Thank you all for your support of me and this fanfic, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I love you all :)**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**HERMIONE'S POV**

That night we ate dinner mostly in silence, listening to the teachers conversing more than anything. Eventually, I couldn't stand the tension any longer. So, once I finished dessert, I stood up and made my way to the doors. Draco followed me quickly after, and I smiled to myself as he jogged to catch up. _Perfect. _

He caught up easily, and I came to a sudden stop, while he kept walking forward a few paces, before noticing I wasn't with him any longer. He began to turn around.

"Granger-" That was when I raced past him, touched his shoulder as I passed and yelled:

"Tag! You're it!"

**DRACO'S POV**

I stood in shock as she flew out the doors, before coming to my senses and tearing after her. She ran through the halls at break-neck speed, swerving around corners in a way that was almost comical. When I saw her crash into our latest DADA teacher, Articus Weatherby, and apologize as she kept running past, a grin broke out across my face as I passed him as well.

"Sorry, Professor!" I yelled as I whooshed past him as well. Typical. Hermione was headed for the library.

**HERMIONE'S POV**

I burst through the doors to the library, and ran for the greatest hiding spot I knew. The fireplace led to one of the secret tunnels in Hogwarts shown on the Marauder's Map. It was one of the ones closed off, but there was enough room behind it still that if you tapped the loose stone three times, it would let you pass through it for a few moments before it turned solid again. I found it by accident one day while leaning against the fireplace, and I had been absentmindedly tapping the mantle. Bit of a shock when I fell through, but it's been one of my favorite places to hide out or be alone ever since. It wasn't exactly soundproof though, normally the burning fire would hide the minor noises made by reading or studying alone, but not tonight.

I enchanted the fireplace to become transparent one-way, so I could see what was going on. Draco crashed into the library, before slowing to catch his breath and take a good look around. I saw him begin a methodical path, quickly and silently, around every bookshelf and table, checking in all the logical hiding places, and even a few that'd be a stretch. He worked his way over to the shelves surrounding the fireplace, and I slowed my breathing until it was nearly silent. When he reached the fireplace and paused. I clamped a hand over my mouth, becoming as silent as humanly possible. He pulled out his wand.

"Homenum revelio," he cast, but while the spell told him I was here, it could not point out where I was. He began to abandon the fireplace, and I breathed a small sigh of relief, leaning back against the wall of rubble behind me. But that was my mistake, it caused a pebble to knock loose and clatter against the floor beside me. Draco whirled around, and inspected the mantle. He saw the loose stone, and chuckled.

"Clever, clever, Hermione, but not clever enough," he murmured, tapping the stone, once, twice, three times. He reached forward, found my ankles, and pulled, dragging me out of the tunnel on my bum. I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"I didn't. Well, I had forgotten about it, Snape told me about it in fifth year, but I haven't used it in two years. It wasn't till I heard something fall inside that I remembered it was a boarded up tunnel, and knew how to open it." He grinned. "But enough chit-chat… you're it."

* * *

**DRACO'S POV**

We crashed around the castle for a few more hours, until McGonnagall finally found us.

"It's after hours, you two, off to bed! Do I have to see you there myself?" she puffed, before putting a hand on each of our shoulders, and with a _crack! _of Apparition, we were back at our rooms. Hermione and I both held our stomachs, feeling turned at the force of the unexpected travel. She looked to us expectantly.

"Well?" Hermione hid a smirk, and shrugged for me to give the password. I groaned.

"Bunny's arse," I mumbled. The king in the painting cried out.

"What's that lad? I'm hard of hearing, you'll have to speak up-"

"BUNNY'S ARSE, ALRIGHT?" I hollered, and Hermione went into a fit of giggles at the look on McGonnagall's face as I turned pink with embarrassment. "He won't let us change it, Professor," I mumbled, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I won't let you either, Mr. Malfoy. Off to bed, the both of you," she said as the painting swung forward. I caught the sight of a small smile just before the painting closed behind us. Hermione fell into light giggles again after that, before flopping onto the loveseat, stretching out and relaxing.

"I'm off to bed," I chuckled.

"Alright, I'll be off in a little while. Just want to read a bit first," she replied. I shook my head.

"I'm surprised your blood isn't made of printer's ink, Hermione," I called over my shoulder as I entered my room. She laughed, and I involuntarily grinned at the sound, which I'd heard more times tonight than in all seven years before. Her laugh was just so _Hermione, _I couldn't help but smile at the thought. I put on my pajamas, and settled into bed, but found that I couldn't sleep for all the adrenaline and excitement from the evening. I tossed and turned for nearly an hour, before giving up.

I rose to go have a glass of warm milk and honey, a trick my mum always used to get me to sleep when I was young. But when I reached the common room, I paused. Hermione was fast asleep, the book having fallen askew to the floor. I went and picked it up, setting it back on the shelf. I considered waking her, but if she was like me, once she was woken up she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, at least not for hours. So then I debated over what to do. Finally, I decided to find her a blanket and a pillow at least. The pillow was easy enough, there were a few throws on the couch, but a blanket was more difficult. I searched the spare linens closet, and in and around the common room, but couldn't find a suitable one. I sighed. It probably wasn't comfortable on that couch anyways. I finally gave in, and returned to where Hermione lay. I very carefully slid an arm under her back, and the other under her knees, and slowly lifted her into my arms, careful not to wake her. She was lighter than expected, to be truthful, as I shifted her so her weight was distributed evenly. As I made my way towards her room, she curled into me, clutching at my sweater as her head tucked in against my chest. I sighed, shaking my head, before entering her room. I had to maneuver a bit so as not to drop her while I moved aside her canopy curtains and pulled back her covers, tossing aside unnecessary pillows. I gently set her down, pulling the covers over her shoulders, tucking her in. She rolled over, hmm'ing contentedly as she settled in. I gave a small smile.

Hermione didn't ever show her troubles inside, but during every waking moment, they were there. It could be seen in the skittishness at sudden and loud noises, and in the way she always walked, pulled into herself, pulling away from the world so it wouldn't harm her any further.

But in sleep, she was totally relaxed, the small worry lines fading, until she was just a girl, and not everything that's happened to her. I exited the canopy surrounding her bed, and left for my room, giving up on my earlier expedition as I fell onto my bed. I hadn't felt exhausted enough to sleep in ages, not enough to sleep without my demons haunting me for hours before sleep came, anyhow. Sleep came quickly that night for once, and I was grateful.

**McGONNAGALL'S POV**

As I sat in my office and considered my conversation with Albus, I thought back to what had brought it on. When I had sent the children off to bed, I took another look at the painting that guarded their rooms.

Instead of a snake and lion rearing to tear each other apart, the painting had changed, ever so slightly. They were now standing side by side, and appeared to be helping each other, friends, rather than enemies. And Albus pointed out the obvious, eyes sparkling even in his painting.

"I think we both understand such a simple bit of magic, Minerva." And I did, I just didn't want to admit it. Albus was right. The painting was indication. The pair was changing, for the better. I allowed myself a small smile, and bid Albus goodnight.

*****************************************************************************TW***************************************************************************************

* * *

*****************************************************************************TW***************************************************************************************

**HERMIONE'S POV**

_The dark halls of Malfoy Manor unfolded before me, like black smoke curling outwards to form the stuff of my dreams, of my nightmares. I knew what was coming, after a year of the same dream every night, but that didn't make it any less terrifying, any easier, any less haunting than it was when I first experienced it. _

_"__That sword is meant to be in my vault at Gringotts. How did you get it?" Her voice shook with power, fear, anger, I didn't know. Her lips breathed the words right by my ear, and then she was screaming again. "Did you and your friends take from my vault!?" Against my will, I let out another sob. _

_"__Please, I didn't take anything!" The feeling of a thousand knives had struck me to my core with the Cruciatus curse, but now: _

_"__I don't believe it." Now a real knife pierced my skin, and with the hurried scrawl of a maniac, the word that had haunted me since I turned eleven was carved into my arm. I screamed louder than ever, and I heard someone retch in the corner. I looked to the side as Bellatrix rose, handiwork done with, and saw that it was Malfoy, pale, sickly, and afraid. Bellatrix tossed down the dagger, as though it suddenly bored her. She went to Wormtail and ordered him to bring up the goblin. _

_All at once, everything left me, and my head rolled to the side to read the word in my forearm, never to leave me. _Mudblood. _A drop of blood pearled out of the wound and trickled downward, just as a tear did the same down my face. I looked once more to Malfoy. _

_"__Help me," I whispered, praying against hope that he would break free of the invisible hold they had on him, this fear of his aunt and father, and be who I knew he could be, and _help me. _But he just turned away, and swiped at a tear that rolled down his cheek. _

This was the dream that had been haunting me ever since the war ended, and I began to actually sleep again. I had to cast _muffliato _before I went to bed, so as not to wake the others with my screaming, which always came with the nightmare. But I hadn't had the chance to do that in this dormitory.

**DRACO'S POV**

I woke sharply, to the sound of Hermione's bone-chilling screaming. I whipped out my wand from under my pillow and ran into her room. It sounded like there was someone attacking her.

"Please, I didn't take anything!" My blood ran cold and I started shaking as I realized where I'd heard her say this before. I ran to her bed and threw aside the sheer sheets, to see that she was writhing in bed, and still screaming.

I hesitated. I didn't know if seeing me would make it worse. But she was going to hurt herself, and she was crying. She was reliving something I would never wish on anyone, especially not her. So I strengthened my resolve and shook her awake.

"Granger! Granger! Hermione, it's just a dream, it's just a bad dream, wake up!" I cried, and she woke. But she was still disoriented, and started kicking and screaming.

"Don't hurt me! Please, no more! _Please!" _she cried, sobbing. I halted, in pain at her words. But I knew I had to fight past this. I wrapped my arms around her, restraining her flailing limbs. She fought to wriggle away, but I was stronger than she was, and she finally came back to her senses. Then came the sobs. Huge, body-wracking sobs that filled the room with her cries. My grip relaxed to one of comfort rather than restraint, a position I was unused to. She clutched at me like a lifeline as she sobbed into my chest. I held her close, murmuring in her ear, whatever came to mind, without a thought to what was coming out, as long as it helped.

"Shh, shh, Hermione, it's okay, it was just a nightmare, she's gone, they're dead, they're all gone, they can't hurt you anymore, I'm here, you're safe, we're all safe…" I kept repeating over and over, until her sobs quieted, until she was only silently crying. I stroked her hair, moving automatically, copying the movements of my mother whenever things got particularly bad. This sort of intimacy was rare for me, and the other part of me shied away from it. But Hermione needed someone, and I'll be damned if, for the second time in her life, I didn't help her.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I'm so, so sorry." Her breathing slowed, and I repositioned us so she was next to me, nestled in my arms. I had often sat like this with my mother when I was little. She laid back into me, her ear finding my heartbeat.

"It's not your fault," she murmured.

"Don't. Don't try to make me feel better about this. It was always my fault. I could've stopped it, and I was too cowardly to do it. I could've stopped this…"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy. You could not have saved me that day, not without being killed. And you know what? I never would've met the Draco I met today. It would've always been Malfoy in my memories, and I don't think I could bear that any more than the word in my arm, now that I know what I know." She rubbed furiously at the fading scars. They were too deep to ever truly go away, but they had faded to a color closer to her skin, at least. I stayed her hand, and took her forearm, stretching it out in front of us.

"This does not define you. It never has. I never understood that, not until I had to bear the same weight. But our scars, our memories, they don't define us, Hermione Jean Granger. We're not a word, we're not a million words, we're not ten trillion words. We're _people_, we're who we choose to be, we're the choices we make. You did not make this choice. That choice is not, and never will be, _you." _She nodded, and I looked away as she laid her hand against my abdomen.

"You have to remember that our mistakes don't define us either, Draco. The actions of a boy do not make the man. It's not your fault either." We were both silent after that, until her breathing slowed further, and she fell fast asleep once more.

*****************************************************************************TW***************************************************************************************

* * *

*****************************************************************************TW***************************************************************************************

I made to get up, but she still clung to me. But I knew she wouldn't react the same way in wake, and so I gently pried her away from me, and settled onto the couch in the corner instead. I tried to sleep once more, but found no luck in that endeavor. So instead, I studied the pictures on her walls, both magic and muggle. They were a mix of her family and friends, some even from when she was very young, her bushy curls having to constantly be pushed away from her face, until she grew older and they softened into waves.

One in particular caught my interest. It was of her and Weasley, when they were still together. She looked to him with such adoration, the same expression she'd been wearing since fourth year whenever she looked his way. I wondered what could've split the inseparable threesome. I noticed that now even Potter distanced himself from the asshat Weaselbee, and Hermione became the third wheel as the girl Weasley joined in place of the git. I sighed, speculations being just that, and resolved to ask her about it when she was feeling better. I settled back onto the couch with the romance she had told me about, sighing at what I was succumbing to, and settled in to read until she woke.


	7. This Too Shall Pass

**Hi everyone! Sorry it's been ages, but I've spent 14 hrs spread over two days doing APUSH assignment stuff ****soooo this is more filler than substance but I hope it's alright until I can get you guys a proper chapter :P Do you guys think they're too OOC? Let me know please, esp. after this chapter because I'm really not sure, it's difficult to gauge this kinda thing :P**

**Hope everyone enjoys, I'll be off to bed now XP Night! :)**

**HERMIONE'S POV**

When I woke the next morning, things were fuzzy. I couldn't remember why my eyes were swollen with tears, until I rolled over and saw Malfoy sprawled out on the couch in the corner of my room, the book he was most likely reading flopped askew against his chest, as his chest slowly rose and fell. Then it all came back with clarity, and I blushed at how I must've made him feel, bringing back memories for him like that, dragging him down with me. I felt deep remorse for it, but there was nothing to be done. I would cast _muffliato _tonight, and that would be the end of that.

I guessed he probably hadn't slept for very long yet, so I got up as quietly as possible, grabbed my clothes and things, and went to have a shower, now thankful for the guest washroom we had created. This way Draco could at least get in another hour or so of shuteye.

As I washed away the stickiness on my cheeks, I examined my forearm as the droplets of water trickled down it. What Draco said last night was very moving, but I had to wonder if he believed it himself. I spent much more time than necessary showering, too caught up in my thoughts to notice the time it was taking. I finally shut off the water, and stepped out, wrapping a towel tightly around me.

I changed and left the room, still buttoning up my shirt when I heard Draco stir and reach the door of my room. I was decent, but the shirt was still unbuttoned most of the way. _Damn it all to hell! _I thought as I dove for the nearest open door- his bedroom. I quickly shut the door and locked it, hastily buttoning up the rest before Draco knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!" I cried, doing a last check-over in his full length mirror to make sure everything was as it should be, before opening the door and pushing past him back to my room.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Nothing," I tossed over my shoulder.

"Okay…?" I laughed, more of a shaky sigh of relief than anything else. Once I had finished getting ready, I headed over to the kitchenette and began preparing breakfast out of habit. He shuffled in, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes still, for once looking like his age- a sleepy teenager woken from slumber, and I absentmindedly smiled while I scrambled the eggs.

"You know we could just go downstairs for breakfast, right?"

"Yes, well, this felt more convenient. Want any?" He shrugged, pushing a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. I full-out grinned and let out a giggle at how adorable he was doing that, before catching myself.

"Are you a good cook?" he asked outright, and I laughed at how blunt his blatant question was.

"Umm, by most standards, yes. But don't ask me to bake anything, I'll set the room on fire," I replied, and he laughed.

"Alright then. Make that two scrambled eggs. I'll set the table." He searched around all the cabinets until he found the one containing dish ware, and had to hunt down silverware through all the drawers.

Soon the aroma of cooking eggs and butter filled the room, and Draco inhaled deeply, giving a sigh of contentment and a small smile. I hid my grin at his reaction as I served up his portion, and then mine, and joined him at the table. We were finished quickly, especially Draco, who made me laugh as I saw him scarf it all down in just a few minutes. He rose and washed his plates by magic before putting them away. He pointed his wand at himself then and suddenly he was in work attire as though he was off to an important firm of some sort. He bent down and kissed the top of my head, and in a fake-deep voice said, "Thank you for breakfast dear, I must be off to work now in my important, 9-to-5 job. Don't wait up if I'm late!" he said as he walked out the door. I laughed out loud, quickly magicking my plates clean and into their cabinet as well, and ran out the door after him, catching up at the end of the hall. He fixed his clothing while I pulled on shoes, and I followed him up the staircase.

"Where are we going?"

"I thought today we might take up McGonnagall on her offer and help out today," he replied. "I don't have anything else to do, if you don't," he said, and I shrugged.

"Not at all. Where are they?"

* * *

**DRACO'S POV**

When we arrived at the Astronomy tower, things were well under way for the day, and we were a bit lost as to where we should be. But McGonnagall happened to pass by, and spotted us.

"Oh, yes, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy, just in time. We need you right over here…"

Hermione and I were started at the base of the tower, working our way up. I used my broom to get up along the outside and help with structural repairs, while Hermione worked upward from the inside, helping to clean and put back together the stairs, as well as help cast the protective enchantments once more. We worked all day, and well into the night. That evening we were rewarded with chilled butterbeers, and left to ourselves at the top of the tower while the adults left for slightly stronger firewhiskey.

We sat back to back as we sipped on the cold beverages, looking over our handiwork. I shivered, perhaps at the cold, but also because of the memories this place brought to me. So I got up and went to the edge, watching the stars and the grounds instead. Hermione got up to join me, standing by my side. She sighed as she stared out at the moon, which shone brighter than most nights tonight.

"It's times like this when I really miss everyone. Not just Ronald, or Harry, but _everyone. _Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Sirius even… I feel like I was just starting to know them, to become part of their family too, when they were taken from us," she said, the last part of her sentence shaking with the wobble in her voice.

I put an arm around her as I considered her words. It was true that she was truly the most removed from the Weasley-Potter-Black-everyone-ever-in-the-history-of-wizards-it-seems-like family. Potter had ties to the Weasleys that were essentially familial, and he was even tied to my family, through his godfather. Weasley was of course biologically related to almost everyone.

Hermione had worked her way into their hearts, especially her first year. Even then, as an outsider, I could see how much she struggled to gain the boys' acceptance and attention. It was only natural, but it wasn't fair. Now, as she was finally being treated like family, she went out with the idiot "king," and when they broke up, she was Ron's ex-girlfriend, not HarryandRon'sbestfriendinthewholeuniverse. And I honestly was angry for her.

"How can you just _take it_ from him?" I said, and she sniffed, looking up curiously at me. "All of them, really, aside from Potter and the Weaslette," I elaborated. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to that boy, that family, and he treats you horribly, and then they take _his _side?" Hermione sighed.

"You don't even know the circumstances of our break up," she said with a chuckle. "And they're not taking his side, they're just in a bad place right now and trying to get them to choose _any _side over the holidays isn't fair. This too shall pass," she said wisely, while I just huffed in frustration.

"Then help me to understand! What happened between you two for the thickhead to be dumb enough to lose the greatest witch, and most caring girl I've ever met?" She only laughed.

"I'm hardly either, Draco, but thank you. It's just… complicated," she trailed off, as her face fell. I turned her to face me, and implored her with my expression.

"Hermione, please. I don't like to see you like this, especially when I don't know what _happened." _She looked away, and I saw shame written across her face.

"It's really quite embarrassing…"

"If you don't trust me, I can understand, but I thought we were past that," I half-joked. She gave a mirthless laugh.

"Believe me, you have more trust than I've had in any guy since the incident. If you really must know…" She sighed once more, set down her butterbeer bottle, and began.

**HERMIONE'S POV**

"You have to understand, the way Ron and I got together was very heat-of-the-moment, and I didn't expect it to work right away. But the funny thing was, and maybe that was my warning sign… it did. It was perfect. He was romantic, in his own Ron-ish way," I said, giving a small smile as I thought back fondly on those moments. "But it couldn't last. By the time the war was over, we were both grieving, for different reasons. I was there for him when he needed me. But then it came my turn, and he just… wasn't." I looked away. "We never got very far, thankfully. I was never ready for it, not with my best friend for seven years. I could think of him romantically, for sure, but just… not like that, and not so soon. I was starting to though, until I found out." I swallowed, and tears came to my eyes.

"I-I, uh, walked in on him, with a fifth-year from Ravenclaw. I was shocked, to say the least. But he smoothed things over the way only Ron can, and I forgave him like I have for all these years… and then it was at his _house_, and I found him in his room with Lavender Brown, who was over with a bunch of other people for a small reunion before school started again. That was when I lost it. He admitted to a lot more than just those two, and we had it out, big time. I stormed out on him, and Disapparated. I haven't spoken to him since, and only Ginny and George are talking to me. Charlie and Bill are away, Percy never did care, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are, again, not choosing one over the other, though Mrs. Weasley of course leans to supporting her son." I finished, still refusing to look at Draco. I heard glass shattering next to me, and squeaked, and then realized what he had done.

"_Damn,_" he cursed. He'd crushed the butterbeer bottle in his hand, and a few shards of glass had sliced open his palm, and he was bleeding profusely. I gasped, and scolded him for the foolish action as I quickly used a spell I'd cast many times on the many lacerations Ron and Harry had accumulated over the years, and the wounds sealed up and cleaned themselves neatly. I vanished the butterbeers and cleaned up the mess, before Draco enveloped me into a hug.

"I knew Weasley was foolish, but that's a whole new level of mental. He's an idiot, and I'm glad you stuck to your principles. He doesn't deserve you, he never has," he said, and I sighed into his chest as I hugged him back. "But you were right. This too shall pass. Just remember that as soon as everyone's back though, I'm going to kick his ass."


	8. Cornish Pixies and Boggarts

**Hi everyone... PLEASE DON'T HATE ME.**

**I've been so, so busy since school started that there was literally no time, I've been up at 3 am doing hwk most nights for the first two weeks after switching into a class late, and now things are just finally starting to subside. But I managed to find a few minutes here and there to tack on to my writing, and finally busted out a chapter for you all :) **

**A note, and then a warning, skip to the warning if you don't care about this bit, it's just about next month for me:**

**Competition season starts for us next weekend, and is in full swing in October (meaning: I am gone almost every single weekend next month, and when I'm not gone, schoolwork will have to be caught up on). In other words, I really, really can't promise I'll even be able to post much more again until November, to be perfectly honest with you. I'm really sorry, but this season happens every year and I can't do anything about the timing of it happening to be when I have an unfinished fanfiction being uploaded. I love you all though, please don't be mad :(**

**WARNING: This chapter deals with a boggart, and brings up memories for Draco (ones that I made for this fic, not canon obviously) in which his dad mistreated his mother. Nothing to the extreme, but if it makes you uncomfortable or is a trigger, I'll have the asterisks again before and after that whole portion. It shouldn't disrupt the flow too badly, but I didn't have time to write the chapter around it properly like last time. Sorry everyone :(**

**Dang that was a long A/N. Sorry!**

**Enjoy :)**

**DRACO'S POV**

We didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning that night, and it was a fitful, uneven sleep. We both woke exhausted, but ready to take on the next challenge in our epic saga of Jesus-we're-bored-let's-fix-broken-things-in-the-castle-wooooo: The DADA classroom.

When we reached the classroom, Professor Weatherby was already into the thick of things, working on structural repairs around the windows, casting protective enchantments as he went. He was bustling about, always the busy-body, and when we appeared, he quickly came over to greet us.

"Ah! Miss Malfoy, Mister Granger!" We both looked at each other, unsure if we were to correct him or not, when he caught himself. "Oh, goodness me, I switched them again, didn't I?" he asked, puffing out a hefty sigh as he adjusted his robes around his plump middle. "I apologize. Let me show you where you two will be working today!" He took us to a back room we'd never seen before. It was full of odds and ends we recognized, and some we didn't. They appeared to be objects used for instruction, including two particulars that made us both look at each other and groan internally.

"As we are repairing, we are also cleaning today. The rest of the work here, well, you're not quite up to it with your level of magic yet, so you'd be extremely helpful in organizing this room, and cleaning things, possibly getting rid of what's useless to us now. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, Professor," Hermione answered. Weatherby trundled off once more, thanking us, and we were left to our own devices. The room was rather cramped, but stretched up high. We could just barely stand side by side, mostly due to the first object of annoyance, the cabinet that housed the DADA boggart. We ignored that for now, and turned to the more minor objects.

We pulled from the shelves and sat on the floor outside of the rooms to sort, cleaning as we went, quickly shedding our extra layers of clothing as the day went, until Hermione was in a skirt with her button down pushed up to her elbows, hair pulled high up out of the way. Several times there were shrieks as she found something disturbing or shocking, and I often had to carefully clamber up the shelves to reach the highest parts for her. Once we had done everything we could with whatever else was in there, we turned to our second source of trouble that we'd noticed from the beginning: the cage containing the Cornish Pixies of second year. They were bouncing around and causing a racket, but we'd gotten used to the noise as the day had worn on. We had to move the cage to its new home on a different shelf to make room for a large seeing-glass of some sort.

We carefully lowered it to the floor, and Hermione clambered up the rickety ladder we had finally borrowed, so I could hand the (atrociously heavy) cage to her to put it away. She painstakingly made sure to not upset them inside so as to excite them further, and gently set it on the shelf.

But one gave a squeaky hurrah as it broke free of the cage and flew in Hermione's face, pulling at her hair and cheering. Hermione gasped in shock and gave a squeal as she fell backwards off the ladder. I caught her, and she cast _immobulus _on the rogue pixie as we fell back against the boggart cabinet. It froze midair, but we did not, crashing painfully into the large cabinet. She went to get the pixie back in its cage, when we realized we had a much bigger problem on our hands.

The boggart cabinet had come unlocked, and the boggart came forth immediately, as she shrieked, and we backed away out of the room as fast as we could. But the boggart advanced with us, as we yelled for Professor Weatherby. The boggart locked onto Hermione first, and morphed into her worst fear: Bellatrix. But it was worse, she was standing with bodies at her feet, those of Harry, Ron, Ginny… even me. She froze, while the fake Bellatrix laughed. I quickly jumped in front of her, forcing the boggart to shift for me instead.

My blood ran cold as it materialized. It was my father, and he had the look on his face.

"Draco, Draco, Draco. I'm so disappointed in you. Look what a mess you've made, look what you've done!" His voice had raised significantly by the end, and I flinched away. The form changed, and he was hurting my mother, like he had when I was a child, and couldn't do anything to stop him. I was shaking in equal parts fear and anger, before Weatherby showed up and deftly forced it back into its cabinet the hard way. It took quite a bit of powerful magic, nothing like the simple charm paired with laughter from third year.

Hermione and I were both shaken. I helped her up from the floor and pulled her into my arms while she slowed her breathing and we both calmed down.

"Children, I'm so sorry," Weatherby began.

"Save it, Professor," I snapped, and Hermione pulled away as I stormed off.

**Hermione's POV**

"I'm sorry, Professor, he's just out of sorts at the moment. It wasn't your fault, and he knows it," I apologized for the both of us, and Professor Weatherby sighed, and his guilt showed.

"Please accept my sincerest apologies, my dear," he pleaded. I nodded, thanking him, before excusing myself to check on Draco. I ran to the only spot I could think to find him: the Quidditch pitch. Sure enough, he was out there, doing tumbles and loops, but they were jerky, erratic, and clearly showed his growing frustration and anger. I lingered, watching him, until he did a turn wrong and fell off his broom, thankfully only a few feet off the ground. He crumpled immediately, and I almost ran to him, until I realized what happened next. He put his hands to his face and cried out in frustration, and _anguish. _He was crying.

**DRACO'S POV**

I couldn't take it anymore. The one thing that always brought solace in times when I remembered the more unfortunate moments of my childhood had failed me, and the grass was now soaking my good shirt. I felt hopeless, and useless, just as I had when… well.

I had no problem seeing my father shipped off to Azkaban, but it was for more than people ever realized, because my mother forced me to swear on her life never to tell a soul about what I had witnessed (if only a few times, but it was more than enough) when I was young. It was always when things got worst with the Death Eaters and Voldemort's repeated attempts at returning, when he lost any empathy and sympathy he might have ever had for others. To the extent that I saw, it was nothing more than a slap, or a flick of the wand to silence her, but it was so, so horrifying. The way he treated her, like dirt, when she had loved him so much, when she still tried to for my sake… it was disgusting. It was degrading and abusive, and I never had the courage to stand up for my mother and tell someone. Very quickly, as I became old enough to defend myself as well, I stopped him and threatened him about doing it again, but I couldn't help while I was away at school.

But worse now, _Hermione _had seen it. She'd seen that, of all things, my worst fear was my father, and his abuse of my mother.

The tears came hot and fast, in shame and in anger. I hadn't cried like this since I heard about the deaths of some of my friends during the battle of Hogwarts. But all that pent up emotion, even if maybe the occasion didn't warrant such a strong reaction, came pouring out now. All the hurt and fear and _loss _was coming forth in a tidal wave, and I was beside myself in fixing it.

I was startled by a gentle hand on my shoulder, and flinched as I saw that it was Hermione.

"Now's really not the time," I muttered, turning away to swipe at the tears.

"Now's more important than ever." She knelt down beside me, and pulled me into a hug.

I was supposed to be stronger than this, but in that moment, I needed her. I needed what had been so roughly snatched away, countless times; I needed human emotion, and human touch, and _just another human being_ to lean on for a few moments. I gripped her tightly to me and tried to calm my breathing and stop the tears.

"If anyone had ever told me…" I began the joke, and she laughed as I left it open ended.

"If anyone had ever told me Draco Malfoy was actually a decent flyer…" she quipped, and I couldn't help but laugh. She knew she didn't have to comment on such a vulnerable moment, and I was grateful. I stood up and pulled her with me.

"Oh really? You haven't even seen anything yet," I said as I grabbed my broom. "You haven't _ridden _on a broom with me flying it," I elaborated with a grin, and her expression turned to one of horror.

"Oh, _crap._" This was going to be so, much fun.

**Quick question: Do you guys have any ideas for how I should change Draco's thing with the boggart (if you think i should at all)? I need him to have conflict, to be vulnerable (because that's what humans are, and it's a big part of why Draco for me is *I HATE THIS CLICHE WORD BUT I GOTTA USE IT* misunderstood). I guess I just want any opinions in general about this chapter, because it was very hard to write. I know where the rest of this is going (pretty much) already, but I don't mind changing this chapter if you guys don't like it. Anyhow, see you soon! (i hope)**


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